A Breath Away
by Dot
Summary: The Republic on the rocks with a twist: the Empire rises, bringing with it destruction, terror- and love. Please R+R.
1. Chapter One

A/N: I started this a looong time ago, almost forgot about it, then happened upon it a while ago when cleaning out my harddrive. Somehow it was saved from the Recycle Bin and I decided to revamp it and perhaps finish it? Hm, not unknown to happen... Anyway, please read and review.   
  
Chapter One  
  
She stood in shocked silence, her heart's rapid beating the only sound in the room. It wasn't possible, it just wasn't. But the tally was right before her, proclaiming the motion carried. Her own vote, the votes of countless other champions of democracy, hadn't mattered in the least. The Republic was lost.  
And they hadn't even see it coming.   
  
Mon Mothma's arms wrapped around herself, a feeble attempt to ward off the icy feeling of captivity. Palpatine- the *emperor*, she thought spitefully- was the supreme ruler of the galaxy, and she was exactly that: a captive.   
  
She knew captivity, had tasted it as a mere girl before the revolution of Chandrila, when her family had been imprisoned by the despot who had ruled the planet. But then the revolution had come; they were set free, and she had hoped she would never feel the chains binding her, had trusted the Republic to ward off those chains. Her trust had been betrayed.   
  
Mon looked up, her blue eyes sweeping the room. They held no hint of weakness, no sign of the incredible pain that enveloped her. To the thousands of senators in the room, she was merely shocked, slightly angry. But they knew as well as she did that there was nothing she could do. She'd spoken out against the motion when it was proposed, voted against it, and that was all anyone could do in a Republic.  
  
She lowered her eyes demurely. In a Empire, there was more.   
  
  
  
*  
  
Bail Organa felt like raging. He felt like ripping the senatorial insignia from his robe and stomping on it, spitting on it, erasing all trace that he had ever belonged to such a stupid body of people.   
  
He did none of these things. He was a general of the Republic- the Empire- and he would conduct himself accordingly- and wait until he got home to tear the insignia from his robe and stomp on it.   
  
A fine tremor was running through him, from shock more than anger. He never thought it would pass. How could it? But it had, and his pragmatic nature was immediately moving on to the next step, damage control for the brainless organization that had just turned over supreme power to one man, a corrupt man at that.   
  
The Chancellor-turned-Emperor was speaking; Bail forced himself to listen. "The confidence placed in me by this august body will not be betrayed. A strong hand is needed to banish the radicals who would tear this empire apart. I will provide this strong hand."   
  
He tuned out the rest of the speech, striving to look interested and approving. Palpatine finished with a flourish, and the Senate erupted into cheers. The chamber began to empty, senators breaking off into groups or heading for their homes. Bail himself knew that as a member of the Loyalist party- stanch supporters of Palpatine all- he would be expected at the Emperor's side. But his stomach was churning, his hands shaking, and he really didn't want to go.  
  
He went, moving through the hallway with an unaffected elegance. The Emperor's office was above the senate hall. The symbolism of that didn't go unnoticed by him as he entered the turbolift.   
  
There were other senator's crushed into the lift; some he knew and others he barely recognized. The girl pressed up against his side was of the latter group. She seemed vaguely familiar, but she looked far too young to be a member of the Senate, if her dress hadn't indicated otherwise. Her dark hair was pulled back into a thick braid, leaving her striking blue eyes completely clear. They stared up at him, burning into his eyes.   
  
"We request your presence for dinner, Senator," she whispered and he felt her warm hand in his.   
  
He broke eye contact and looked down. A small paper had passed from her hand to his own. He tightened his grip around it, then slipped it into the pocket of his jacket. "If I am able, your request will be granted," he replied, at a loss of what else to say.   
  
The girl didn't smile, just bobbed her head, as if she'd expected that answer. "I'll see you tonight," she said softly. The turbolift opened and somehow she managed to be the first one off. He watched her retreating back until she got lost in the crowd, realizing he still had no idea who she was. 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
  
She'd taken a risk, a risk none of the others had been willing to take. She'd approached Bail Organa, given him the message herself, with no disguise. It was worth it, however, if they could get him to join their cause.   
  
Mon Mothma spent a little time in front of her mirror before leaving her apartments. Her hair was down, worn in such a way it could easily hide her face. Her cloak was long and black, the hood waiting to be drawn up. But beneath the black cloak was the traditional senatorial gown of Chandrila, long and white.  
  
Mon left her state apartments quickly, threading her way through the crowded streets of Coruscant. She left the upper levels behind and began to descend. Below the gleaming surface of Coruscant, there was another world. It was dingy, but no less crowded, the beings that stalked the streets pale from lack of any sunlight. It was a dirty place, but that was where the city-planet of Coruscant had first begun. It was there that she was headed.   
  
Cantham House had been the original meeting place for the primitive senate on Coruscant. As the city had risen, a new building had as well, but the old one had been maintained until just fifteen years before, when funding for the historical preservation society had been cut by the Senate. It was still a handsome building however, despite the heavy marks of age that were beginning to show.   
  
Mon entered it silently, heading directly for the meeting room in the center of the building. She stuck to the shadows, not bothering to speak to the others who were filing in. Bail Organa came in last, blindfolded and led by another hooded figure. Mon checked to make sure her hood was up, then stepped forward. *Let the games begin,* she thought and smiled.   
  
*  
  
Bail had gone early to the meeting place described in the note the mysterious girl had handed him. It was the hub of a marketplace in the lower class district of Coruscant. He felt out of place in his finer clothes.   
  
Soon enough, his guide arrived. It was a man, in a heavy cloak. Bail couldn't see his face, especially after the man had produced a blindfold and Bail had allowed it to be wrapped around his head. He could see nothing, but he felt himself being led into a speeder, which pulled into traffic at a normal speed. Bail couldn't tell which direction they were headed until they headed down.   
  
They stopped the speeder five minutes after they'd climbed aboard and exited onto a solid landing platform. Bail was led into some sort of building, down a long hall. The room they stopped in was large and cold, and nearly empty, if the echoing surrounding him was any indication.   
  
A voice suddenly spoke. "Senator, thank you for coming."  
  
Bail recognized the voice of the girl from that morning. "It was not inconvenient to do so, but this blindfold is proving annoying," he replied.   
  
"The blindfold is necessary," the girl said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You've been called here because your ideals have often been shown in accordance to our own."   
  
"My ideals?" he asked. "If you speak of my belief in democracy and the Republic, I hold by it even now."   
  
"Even when the Chancellor has seized supreme power?"  
  
"More so now," he replied, wishing he could see her, or the man who had brought him inside, or any other being in the room. "Democracy and freedom go hand in hand. If one fails, the other will be destroyed."   
  
"Yes, Senator, we all know your thoughts on the subject. Our question is will you fight for them?"   
  
"Fight for them? I would fight to preserve the Republic, yes. I have done so for many years. If you question my commitment, do not."   
  
It was silent all around him for a moment, then fingers tugged gently at his blindfold. It fell off and he found himself staring into those gorgeous blue eyes again. "Welcome to the Alliance, Bail Organa." 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
He couldn't get those eyes out of his head. It was irrational, unreasonable, and completely insane, but even after everything she'd told him, all she'd revealed about Palpatine, the empire, the corruption his thoughts had only brushed the surface of, all he could think about were her eyes. They were clear and intelligent, bright burning in the dim cavernous chamber.   
  
She was nineteen now, elected at seventeen- the youngest Senator in history. She hadn't given him the information, but it wasn't hard to find out once he'd gotten her name: Mon Mothma. He remembered her now, or rather remembered mentions of her in Senate transcripts he'd received while he was fighting in the first of the Clone Wars. She was a fiery speaker, uninhibited and completely blunt.   
  
And her eyes were like the morning sky.   
  
Bail blinked and swallowed, demanding his mind to focus on the debate at hand. Orn Free Taa was going on about finance and taxes, and seeing as though he was the minister of the committee in question, he figured listening was in order. "The Refugee Relief Movement is a senseless misuse of funds. In the midst of such a crisis, we have no credits to allot to such a cause, no matter how worthy it may be! A better use would be to create more troops, more soldiers to beat back this menace!"   
  
"The Emperor recognizes Imperial Senator Mon Mothma, of the system of Chandrila."   
  
Her platform glided out, and she launched at once into her speech. "How can we call ourselves civilized if, as Senator Taa put it, we find the saving of lives to be a 'senseless misuse of funds'? The Wars are displacing so many. One by one, as planets fall to the Separatists, citizens loyal to the *Republic* are forced to flee. There is no time for them to collect their savings or barter for a transport! People such as these require our assistance. Surely their *lives* are worth more than a new influx of clones!"   
  
Even though at the moment, he found himself unable to care less, he signaled and was recognized. "The new influx of clones will save more lives by holding back the Separatist threat. To just ignore the need of the Empire for the sake of a few…"   
  
It was according to her own plan, but she still looked angry at being argued with. "Well, I don't suppose you would understand the refugee's plight, Senator, having never been one." She took a deep breath and changed tactics, "The army we have is one *million* strong. The Kaminoans have been helpful in eradicating the Separatists, yes, but-"   
  
Bail didn't let her get much further. "But? We have stopped the first wave of insurrections. The next will not be far behind."   
  
"You don't know that!"  
  
"Neither do you."   
  
Her eyes were burning but her voice was calm, collected. "I oppose Senator Taa's motion for the destruction of the Refugee Relief Movement." She turned to Palpatine and said in a strong voice, "People are more important than puppets." Her platform glided back, her eyes deliberately averted.  
  
Bail followed suit, falling back among the rest of Palpatine's pawns, his heart strangled and hungry for the cool honesty of her eyes. 


End file.
